Posts Tagged ‘getting started in social media’

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Are You Doing Average Really Well?

Friday, March 12th, 2010

When you start a new project, what’s the goal?

As I see it, you can go two ways.  It’s a given that you want to make something that people will like.  Ultimately, the direction you take is determined by how you define that word: “Like”.

If by like you mean passionate, celebrated, different, noteworthy, challenging, then you’ve set the bar high.  Good.  The world needs more people like you.  It will never get them, so your work is even more valuable.

If, on the other hand, you define like as not offensive, you’ve gone in the opposite direction.  It’s impossible for brilliant work to not offend someone.  By it’s very nature, it won’t appeal to everyone.  It will put some people off your product or your business or you.

But, what you made, yes, people will like it.  Kind of.  In this other direction, the phrase actually reads more like, “no one is going to not-like this.”   This is what you do when you make the perfect example of an insurance commercial, or a website that’s normal, or a press release about your sale.

The bar is set pretty low for work like this.  You can do it for an entire career, and chances are no one is going to not-like it.

But no one’s going to like it, either.

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What Are You So Afraid Of?

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Here’s what it is for me:

I’m usually afraid to show my true optimism.  I worry about enthusiasm mistakenly interpreted as being naive.  I think people will point and laugh and call me Ned Flanders.

The reality is: so what?  So what if they do? It doesn’t matter.

Here’s why.  Holding back feels to me like hedging your bets.  Like trying to play both sides and please everyone.  That can show up in a ton of places.  This blog.  My work for clients.  Home.

(Another reason is I can be a really gifted smart-ass.  I don’t know where I picked that up, but if there were awards, I’d at least be at the ceremony, maybe even nominated.)

So I’m at least a little comfortable hiding it.  But that shouldn’t be the case.  It should be more like, “Say it once, say it loud:  I’m nice and I’m proud!”

Fear inhibits extraordinary work.

Whatever it is that you’re worried about, think about this:  what would it take for you to set it aside?  What could you accomplish if you did?

For marketers, I believe the sky’s the limit.  You’re creative, you’re smart, and no one works harder.  You’ve got an opportunity, with the tools that are available now, to do something dynamic.

Your work can make a difference, if you want it to.

So what are you so afraid of?

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Does What You Do Matter?

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Not the kind you talk about in physics.

I’m using the verb: to matter.  It doesn’t make a difference if you don’t make a difference.  Whatever work you’re doing, it had better matter to you.Not Better, Just Different Week 8 by doug88888

People can tell if it doesn’t.  Quickly.

And first, you have to care about what you do.  No way around it.  If you do, you can make what matters important in a whole slew of ways.

Here are a few that come to mind:

-Blog with personality.

-Post good things about other people.

-Have a creative outlet, and don’t ignore it.

-Let the critics criticize.

-Take an idea to fruition.

-Praise good work, no matter what the source.

-Teach.

-Learn something new and share it.

It’s bigger than marketing.  Definitely.

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How To Introduce Yourself With Social Media

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

We talk a lot about the conversation.

But one question a lot of business owners have is, “How do I join?”  That makes sense.  Business owners usually sell things to the people they’re talking to.chat room by iboy_daniel

Or at least, they did.  Now, it’s not up to the business owners to sell as much as it’s up to the consumer who to buy from.  I can buy a $200 import guitar from anywhere.  Everyone has a sale, everyone can ship to my door.  What makes you so special?

What makes you special is I know you.  You came to where I was and introduced yourself.

There are more than a few good ways to find conversations about what you do.  But once you find them, it’s best to spend some time reading up on what people are talking about there.

If it’s a message board, read the notes from the moderators.  Check out the people who post a lot.  If it’s a comments section on a blog, read past entries.  Try to get an idea of the audience.  Take some time to hear what people are saying.

Why?  Because it’s possible you’ll be stepping all over the conversation if you don’t.

You’ve been listening, so you should get an idea of how to best introduce yourself.  It doesn’t have to be a formal “Hello”.  And this isn’t a post about etiquette, necessarily.  But there should be a few cues you can take from the people already taking part in the conversation.

And if you can’t, it might not be somewhere that’s worth your time.  In general, places online where the conversation is “noisy” isn’t a good place to make a suggestion, say hi, offer something, etc.

It’s a rule that the more anonymous a conversation is, the less helpful it tends to be.  In other words, stick to conversations where people are who they say they are.

That’s who you want as a customer.

Also, be humble.  Acknowledge that people have been contributing to the conversation for a while before you showed up.

Along that same line, be honest.  Tell people who you are, and what interest you have in being there.  One caveat:  Don’t sell.  Ever.  Almost.  We hammer this point here pretty regularly, so I won’t go over the finer points in this post.  But instead of selling, just be helpful.  Okay?  Great.

That’s what you showed up to do in the first place, right?

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Small Amounts Of Better

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

I like progress.

Thinking about ways to move projects forward will keep me occupied for hours.  I also like systems, and putting them into action.hooverdam bridge construction- jamiejohndavies

So I really enjoyed a post from last summer (remember summer?) on Tim Ferriss’s blog by guest blogger Chad Fowler.

Chad discusses productivity in terms of incremental improvement, placing emphasis on the increments.  he asks, “Are you better than yesterday?”

This question is central to most digital marketing efforts. It embraces the idea that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  And most businesses have yet to take that step.

Content marketing, where you’re writing and participating online in your field, isn’t static.  It’s a process.  One that’s remarkably like being a magazine editor.  If you think about your marketing in those terms, you can start to measure small amounts of progress, which has a motivating effect on production.

For instance, if your goal is to write at least four blog posts every week, that’s a pretty daunting task for someone that 1) has never written a real live public blog, and 2) already has a full list of things to do at work.

If you compare your output not to how close you are to the end goal, but to weather you’ve done better than yesterday, it’s going to make your new job as a publisher more manageable.

It’s also going to make your progress more measurable.  If you have a huge project on your radar, like auditing, restructuring, and rewriting all of the content on your site, it’s going to be tough to look at that little red line moving toward the finished product.

If you start with zero new content, and audit just one branch of the site, well, that’s huge gains from the progress you had yesterday.

It’s perception, sure.  But in a lot of ways, perception is reality.

If perception is enough to get you motivated to work on your digital marketing strategy, great.  It’s a smart way to make progress.  Create small amounts of better, everyday.

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5 Interesting Uses For Twitter

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

“My cat is eating pancakes” doesn’t count.

I like it when people take something and make it another thing.  Call it hacking, if you want.  I think the word has some bad connotations on it, though, that scare non-tech types into shying away from the digital space.N8tr0n- beaker bug

Either way, there are people that haven taken this tool, Twitter, and made it into something more.  Which, in a way, is the story of the company.  So it fits.

As marketers, we should always be thinking of new ways to communicate that are interesting and helpful.  Especially when we’re given a great new avenue like Twitter.

Here are five interesting uses for Twitter.

1.  Twitter as Talent Scout Literary agents (hip ones, anyway) are using Twitter to find hidden writing talent.  I guess if you can say it in 140 characters, you’d kill it in book form.

2.  Twitter as Note Pad Say you have an idea.  You want to share the idea, but you don’t have time.  You need something- a notepad- to write it down.  Only you don’t carry a notepad.  You carry an iphone.

3.  Twitter as Fan Fiction If you’ve ever seen a movie or read a book with a character you really like (I mean really like), and you wished that character had more to say, look no further.

4.  Twitter as Search Engine Twitter “power users” with tens of thousands of followers can ask a question and get hundreds of quick answers.  Well, everyone else can too.

5.  Twitter as GPS Knowing your precise location, and using it to find the precise location of everything else, is definitely something new for most people. You’ll still get lost, but now you won’t have to stop to ask for directions.

I think all those things, and the thousands of other stories like them, are really cool.  Not just the actual applications or uses, but the ideas that went into making them.

Here’s this thing for wide-range instant messaging.  I’m going to make a ______ for that, and people will use it to ________.

My question is, how many people have taken the same tack with their marketing?  Here are all these tools.  What are we going to make?

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Why Are You Making Easy So Hard?

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Communication isn’t what it once was.

Do you remember when people would cut phone calls short because it was “long distance”?  My dad still does it, BTW.  Now that that’s not a factor, here’s a bigger question for you:  Why are there still people who are reluctant to go digital?socialisbetter- rotary iphone

Think about it in terms of history- the pony express was replaced by the telegraph.  The rotary phone was replaced by the touch tone.  They were replaced because the newer technology made things better.  Of course, that concept rings true no matter how far you go back.

There’s more computing power in your phone than there was in the first space shuttle.  And all the things you can do with it make your world better, easier.  Sure, better and easier get exploited by people all the time.  Spam was around before it was called spam.  But we don’t have to fall into that trap- spammers prey on the uninformed.

And this is the information age.  There’s no reason to be scared of your computer.  That’s because the more you know about working in the digital space, the more you can do.  If you go the other way, you’re stuck with, “Well, this is a long distance call…”

Learning is easier than ever.  The tools are easier to use than ever.  Communication with thousands and thousands of people is easier than ever.  The only thing that makes it hard… is thinking that it is.

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Why Are Nerds Good With Social Media?

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

For about 20 years now, it’s been cool to be a nerd.  Kind of.

Nerd-dom can be defined as being awkwardly enthusiastic about things that take some intelligence, imagination, and participation.  Maybe put an emphasis on “awkward”.dead giveaway

I think this is why nerds excel at using social media.  If you’re too cool to participate, you get nothing.  If you’re not intelligent, you’re bound to be misunderstood.  If you lack imagination, you probably won’t get far using social media in the first place.

It’s a pretty good time to be alive if you’re naturally a nerd.  You’re actually encouraged to be yourself, to be transparent, even in business.  Especially in business.

How did that happen?  Kurt Cobain in a cardigan?  Bill Gates with a billion dollar endowment?

Here’s my theory:  Programming and computers fall squarely into the nerd pantheon.  And you have to have those ingredients I listed earlier to really make them work for you.  As computers e became the tools that the world used to talk to one another, the language we use became an extension of those tools.

And those characteristics that are automatically built into the language-  enthusiasm, participation, etc. are part of it.  Nerds are native speakers.

So how does this help you in business?  I’m not positive.  My social skills have always been a bit on the awkward side (though I admit I have a great sense of humor.  If you like bad puns.)

But I would encourage everyone to let their inner nerd out.  Especially when using social media.  Be honest, and a little weird, and human.

Your brochure is one thing.  Social media is another.

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No More Excuses, Okay?

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Not long ago, Google did something really neat.

The company was launching a new product, the Chrome web browser.  A couple people on the marketing team decided to find out:  how much did people know about what they were making?Is this you?

The answer?  Not much.

They made it anyway.  And they also made some information explaining what they made.

What’s neat about it is that it pretty much erases any excuse to not know some basic technology.  If you are doing some marketing in 2009, you don’t get to have any more excuses.

Go cold turkey.  Give it up.  It’s not okay to roll your eyes and say, “I just don’t get the internet.”  It’s time to force yourself to change.  You’re the opposite of those people in the video.

I understand that even the word technology is intimidating to a lot of people.  But what this really is for most people is just another way to talk.

So that’s it.  Communication.  If you want to communicate with the people who want to communicate with you, you have to learn at least a little of this.

It’s change, and change is hard.  The only way to go is through it, so prepare yourself.

That’s why the google example is so strong.  Because it gives a simple, quick explanation of something you need to know.

Those explanations are everywhere now.  How does email work?  What’s a server?  How do I share documents?  And on and on…

Now, the last time you tried to figure this out, it was hard to understand.  But the internet has come a long, long way.  Just like it’s easy to punch up one of your favorite songs any time you want, it’s easy to find out how to use technology.

Trust me.  You need this.

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Tools for Cranking Out Content

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Well, it’s that time. The work is piling up like the leaves outside. You know what I’m talking about.

So while I’m getting down to business, I wanted to share some of the tools we use to get things done at Matterhorn.  Hopefully, there’s something in here that’s new to you, or we’re using it in a way that you haven’t thought of.tools

For all of our projects, we use 37 Signals’ Basecamp project management system. I don’t think there’s a better way for us to keep tabs on anything and everything you’re doing. It’s easy to use and great for planning. I particularly like how information like events or files can be viewed indiviually by category or together as a timeline of progress.

For social media, there are tons of tools that we use to listen around the internet for conversations that our clients can participate in.  Once we identify them, ping.fm is one way to post in several spheres at once.  It’s easy to get in “broadcast mode” with a tool like that, which will hurt you when you’re using social media for business, so be careful.

When I write in a word processor, I pretty much have to use MS Word (cutting edge, I know).  It’s too bad everyone uses Word- I like Apple’s Pages much, much better.  Even though I can export Pages to Word, the stuff that pages excels at, namely the ease of formatting, doesn’t translate sometimes.  So rather that deal with the headache, I just use Word.  Damn you, Word!  Be smarter!

If I’m writing directly to a blog, I’m in Wordpress.  On the tech side, WP is easy to attach to the sites we build, and has so many bells and whistles, it’s pretty obvious that it’s the one that’s most ready for heavy lifting.  On the interface side, I can (mostly) format my posts however I like, and the dials are easy to tweak.

For staying current, I use an RSS reader.  There are tons out there, but I use google’s.  It’s got just about everything I want, and nothing I don’t, so it suits me.  I messed around with using Alltop for a while, but I ended up just sticking with my original digs.  There’s talk that Twitter will replace RSS, but meanwhile, I’ll use a reader.

Finally, for instant messaging we use Adium.  It recognizes almost every different IM client, so you only have to use one application to talk to almost anyone.  Plus, the duck icon will flap his arms around when you have a message :-)

There are tons more (Pat’s icons for SEO tools alone cover the desktops on 3 of his 4 screens); these are the basics, meaning, these are pretty much what I use everyday for the content and client side of things.

Thoughts?

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